Without Carson Wentz will the Philadelphia Eagles still reach Super Bowl?
Wednesday 27 December 2017 13:11, UK
Star quarterback Carson Wentz going down with season-ending injury was one of the biggest fears for Philadelphia Eagles fans.
It's been a season filled with injury woes, and this one, at this point in the season, was arguably the most heart-breaking. The quarterback who jumped back to the top of the MVP race with a stunning four-touchdown performance in the same game as his injury, against the Los Angeles Rams, now sits on the sidelines through into the postseason.
The Eagles were supposed to be celebrating winning the NFC East for the first time since 2013, and have since gone on to clinch a first-round bye in the playoffs. Instead, the fate of the Eagles is now in the hands of back-up Nick Foles, who was a record-breaker in that division-winning year in 2013, but has since meddled with mediocrity around the NFL.
While the loss of Wentz is the worst thing that could have happened to Philadelphia, they are still in the driving seat in the NFC. But do they have a fighting chance to win it all?
"Next man up" mentality
In the Monday press conference following Wentz's injury, head coach Doug Pederson was asked if his team can overcome the loss.
"We sure can. Heck, yeah," he said. "We overcame losing a Pro Bowl left tackle. We overcame our middle linebacker being out. We've overcome losing a running back, a core special teams player and our kicker this year. This is no different."
Philadelphia has lost a ton of starting talent to injury this season. Left tackle Jason Peters is not only a nine-time Pro Bowler (on track for a 10th), but a sure Hall of Famer too.
Peters went down on October 23 in a Monday night game against Washington, and it was a fateful night. In the same game, top linebacker Jordan Hicks - the team's communicator on defense - suffered an Achilles injury. The pair were placed on injured reserve.
Starting kicker Caleb Sturgis nailed all three of his attempts in the season opener. Chris Maragos was a crucial part of a special teams unit that has been in the top 10 for three straight years. Darren Sproles is one of the greatest do-it-all players of all time, contributing as a runner and receiver out of the backfield and as a returner. All three have had to be replaced.
Cracks starting to show
Fundamentally, the team was able to overcome the losses, going on a four-game winning streak after losing Peters and Hicks, outscoring opponents 152-45 in that span. However, a loss to the Seattle Seahawks and the surrendering of 35 points to the Rams, and 29 to the New York Giants, have exposed issues that could hold this team back when the going gets tough in January.
And, Foles doesn't have nearly the same escapability when facing pressure as Wentz. Going forward, defenses will be sure to attack the Philadelphia O-Line.
Also, a Philly D that looked dominant against weaker foes was torn apart by Russell Wilson in Week 13, again by Todd Gurley in Week 14 and Eli Manning in Week 15. Despite a ferocious front four, the linebackers can be exploited, and a young group of corners hasn't looked as solid against strong opponents.
Can Foles replicate his best?
In 2013, Foles set the NFL record for touchdown-to-interception ratio with 27 passing scores to only two picks. It has since been beaten by Tom Brady (28-2 in 2016), but will still go down as one of the most spectacular seasons of all time. In fact, in his outing against the Oakland Raiders that year, Foles was the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for seven touchdowns and post a perfect passer rating in a single game.
It's argued then head coach, and offensive "guru", Chip Kelly was largely responsible for crafting an unstoppable offense that year, but both Kelly and Foles have crashed down to earth since. The head coach is back in college with UCLA after an unsuccessful two-win 2016 season in San Francisco, while Foles was traded to the Rams in 2015, released, and picked up by the Chiefs in 2016 before Philly swooped this summer.
He was brought in as a more mature and experienced back-up, but Pederson showed the utmost confidence in him. After stepping in down 31-35 against the Rams, Foles led a field goal drive in his first possession, and after Chris Long's forced fumble put the team in position to go up 37-35, the QB converted on a huge third-down inside the two-minute warning to Nelson Agholor, essentially sealing the victory.
"The reason we went out and got Foles is for reasons like this and for situations like this", Pederson said.
Foles then once again showed his worth in his first competitive start of 2017, throwing four touchdown passes for Philadelphia in the 34-29 NFC East divisional win over the New York Giants, and guiding the team to another win over the Oakland Raiders in Week 16 that clinched the NFC No 1 seed.
Going all the way
Pederson's message to his team's fans is simple: "You can't lose faith. This has been a resilient football team all season long and if there's ever an opportunity for me as a head football coach to rally the troops, now might be the time."
It's a stance any head coach has to take, but he is exuding confidence in his new starter and challenging the whole collective team to bring their best each and every week.
The Eagles will likely run the ball more with their trio of Jay Ajayi, LeGarrette Blount and Corey Clement, and rely on the defense to step up.
The Minnesota Vikings overcame a quarterback injury. The Green Bay Packers managed to just about stay in the hunt without Aaron Rodgers. Though there are cautionary tales too - the Indianapolis Colts had no chance without Andrew Luck and the Houston Texans lost all momentum when rookie QB Deshaun Watson went down.
How far can Foles take this team?
The odds of Philadelphia finally taking home their first Super Bowl victory this season have dramatically dropped. There's no doubt it will take a miracle for Foles to accomplish anything close to what the Eagles' franchise quarterback has done. But at 13-2, with a playoff bye week clinched, this team can't yet be ruled out.
Philadelphia believe they can fly with Foles.
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